Liverpool shocked as Philippe Coutinho hands in transfer request

Liverpool have been handed a huge blow just before the start of the Premier League campaign as Philippe Coutinho has submitted a transfer request, according to reports from Sky Sports.

Barcelona have been desperately looking to bring in a replacement for Neymar following his shock £198million move to Paris Saint-Germain and it is no secret that the Catalan giants have eyed up –Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho as their ideal candidate to replace the Brazilian superstar.

While Barcelona are very keen on signing Coutinho, Liverpool are adamant that they are not willing to allow the playmaker to leave Anfield and have allegedly rejected numerous bids from the La Liga outfit, with the latest offer being worth a whopping £90.4million.

It is believed that Barcelona are not giving up on their hopes of signing the 25-year-old as of yet and are now set to return with an improved offer of around £110million.

Even with the whopping offer set to be on the table, Liverpool do not want to sell Coutinho but it now looks like they hand will be forced by the player himself. Coutinho wants to join Barcelona but the former Inter Milan man was said to be looking to leave on good terms.

With Liverpool standing firm though, Coutinho has now taken matters into his own hands in order to earn a move to Barcelona and has handed in a transfer request at Anfield, as reported by Sky Sports.

A close family member of Coutinho’s told Sky Sports News: “Philippe has tried very hard to find an amicable solution to this situation but to no avail.

“He has tremendous love for the club and its fans, but like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez have pointed out in the past, Liverpool does not let its players leave on amicable terms.”

The news will certainly come as a huge blow for Liverpool, who had been looking to challenge for the Premier League title during the upcoming campaign but it now looks like the Reds will be heading back to the drawing board following the expected loss of Coutinho.